Crutch.



No. 748,068. PATENTBD 1320.29, 190s.` J. H. HAMMOND & W. BRIDGEWATER.

- GRUTCH. APPLICATION FILED nu 31, 1902.

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UNI-TED STATES Patented December 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HILL HAMMOND AND WILLIAM BRIDGEWATER, 0E LEICESTER,

' ENGLAND.

CRUTCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 748,068, dated December 29, 1903.

Application iiled May 3l, 1902. Serial No. 109.678. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that we,JAMEs HILL HAMMOND, a resident of 42 Humberstone Gate, and WIL- LIAM BRIDGEWATER, a resident of 30% St. Peters Lane, Leicester, in the county of Leicester, England, subjects of the Kingof England, have invented certain Improvements Relating to Crutches and Analogous Supports for the Human Body, of which the following isa specification. i

This invention consists of improvements relating to crutches and analogous supports for the human body, and is designed with a view of forming crutches and wooden legs in such a manner as to effect a saving of wear upon the yielding substance, such as rubber or equivalent, which comes in contact with the ground, in" addition to which a speciall ber or other material and the `clothing and at the same time removing the cause of injury or injurious abnormal growths occasioned by the use of crutches as ordinarily constructed.

To carry out the invention, we provide two Vseparate cylindrical or tubular parts, one of which receives therein the lower end of the crutch, stick, or wooden leg, and the other part is adapted to receive the means for affording the yielding contact with the ground. Each tubular part may have formed therewith or suitably affixed therein a body of metal, and through both of said bodies a bolt, spindle, or equivalent is passed. Partof the body in one tube may be adapted to slightly enter the other tube, and the meeting faces of the two bodies of metal are suitably re cessed to receive a number of balls. The said bolt or spindle passes through both bodies, as before stated, and receives on its end a suitable washer,which may be recessed,

ing with the parts described. The end of nthe spindle or washer may be adapted to be turned by a'screw-driver or other means to draw the parts suitably together. The yielding means maybe afforded by inserting in the bottom tube a solid rubber plug or a hollow or a pneumatic plug or by incasing the said tube with a rubber cap, or the same result. may be attained by having a spring in the bottom tube and a plug of any suitable substance to bear against said spring and come into contact with the ground. We may form the bottom tube bell-mouthed, either to receive a plug or be incased.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following further description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical central section showing theA two separate cylindrical bodies or tubes, before referred to, inclosing the parts which allow the bottom part to turn independently of the upper one. Fig. 2 is a plan of a washer hereinafter referred to.

A and B are two cylindrical bodies or tubes, preferably of the shape'shown--rli e., the upper tube A is preferably slightly conical to receive the lower end of the crutch-stick or wooden leg and the lower part B is preferably bell-mouthed to receive theresilientrubber plug a, or it may bepartially incased in a rubber cap. (Not shown in the drawings, as it may be of the ordinary formation and readily applied.) Each `of the said cylindrical bodies or tubes A B is provided with an internal body of metal A' B, respectively, which said metal bodies may be formed integral with the bodies or tubes A B or fixed in position therein by any suitable means. It is optional whether the said two bodies A' B are formed of steel or cast malleable and case-hardened and cupped or recessed to re- IOO ceive a number of balls C or whether separate steel washers or cups A2 B2, as shown, are employed to receive said balls C.

The bolt D passes centrally through the two bodies A B', and it is optional whether it is fixed in position to hold the parts together, as shown in the drawings, or placed the reverse way up. The threaded end of said bolt is flattened at D to receive the washer F, (shown in plan in Fig. 2,) which lits thereover, and said washer is thereby prevented from turning independently of the bolt. The nut G, screwed on the end of the bolt D, draws the several parts together, so that the two bodies A and B, with the several parts contained in each, may move round on the circle of balls C in unison with the movements of the body of the user.

While we have shown in Fig. l of the accompanying drawings the preferred 'form of our invention, we wish it to be understood that the several details may be altered in various ways. For instance, we may find it desirable to have a circle of balls C (shown by dotted circles) located under the head D2 of the bolt D or another circle of balls, C2, (also shown by dotted circles,) located in the bottom body B; but such variations are comprised withinthe scope of this invention and readily suggest themselves and may be applied by any ordinary workman skilled in the art to which this invention appertains.

The appliance as shown is complete and can be readily afxed to a crutch-stick, wooden leg, or ordinary walking-stick by means of screws passing through openings H, formed in the top body A.

We claim- A crutch or support comprising in combination with the body portion a rigid tube at its lower end portion, a bottom tube connected to the tube on the body portion by a bolt passing centrally through a plate in each tube, balls located between said plates and a resilient plug or cap in the bottom tube, substantially as described. Y

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES yHILL HAMMOND. WILLIAM BRIDGEWATER. Witnesses:

T. S. SHOULER, WALTER W. BALL. 

